Live after your life - Leave your “MARK” behind !!

All of us being humans , have this innate quality of “humanity” but very few actually do something substantial for the fellow beings. More often than not, we find ourselves liable to some mundane some mandatory responsibilities . . sometimes career sometimes parents. Sometimes children sometimes siblings (and if time and funds allow, distant relatives too !). If you find yourself in such a spot and yet your heart cries out for the mankind here’s something which you can do without ‘literally’ spending any time / energy / money.

Become a donor. Donate your organ(s). Donate life !

What is organ donation?Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Whenever there is an injury to the brain stem or an intracranial haemorrhage the patient goes into coma. The brain is the utmost important organ of the body and an irreversible damage to the same leads to the death of the living being but other internal organs remain functional for some time aided by artificial respiration and various drugs. Within a span of 6 to 24 hours a team of 4 specialists (the treating physician, a neurologist, the hospital's medical director and a government medical representative) examine the brain stem dead individual and certify brain stem death. Only after this various organs of an individual are used for transplantation to other waiting patients.This is called cadaver organ transplantation. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people.

Organs you can donate include

Internal organs: Kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs

Skin

Bone and bone marrow

Cornea

Who can be a donor?People of all ages and background can be organ donors. If you are under age 18, your parent or guardian must give you permission to become a donor. If you are 18 or older you can show you want to be a donor by signing a donor card. You should also let your family know your wishes.

The only, absolute, contraindications to donation are the presence of HIV infection and cancer. All other medical conditions are evaluated individually at the time of donation. Many people with chronic medical problems have safely donated vital organs and tissues.

Organ donation in IndiaIn 1994, the Government of India passed the Transplantation of Human Organs Act that legalized the concept of brain death and, for the first time, facilitated organ procurement from heart beating, brain dead donors. However, this concept is minimally knnown/practised in India. This in turn is perpetuating the commercial sale of human organs due to the widening gap between the demand and supply. Unlike kidney, transplantation of unpaired organs like heart, liver and pancreas is either difficult or impossible from living donors. This is only possible on a large scale if these organs are available from cadaver donors.

In the United States, in 2004, there were over 14,000 organ donors - an increase of 695 donors (7%) over 2003. Unfortunately and overwhelmingly contrasting are results of a survey by the NGO Mohan Foundation - just 50 donations a year in India. Eighty-nine per cent of the people who participated in the online survey said that they were willing to donate their organs after death but only 29% knew about an organ donor card. It is estimated that in India every year over 100,000 people are diagnosed to have kidney failure. Due to non-availability of organs only about 2,500 kidney transplants are done. Despite having permission and facilities to do all kinds of transplants , due to a lack of donors, 80% of the patients needing transplant die. There is a need to perform 15,000 liver transplants in India annually, but till date, only 1,600 cases have been addressed," said Dr Harsh Jauhari, transplant surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

How to become a donor? You do not need to contact a hospital. Just carry a donor card and tell your family that you wish to donate your organs after death. this to indispensible because even though one may have signed a card; what is actually required is that family takes the initiative to get the donation through after a donor’s demise.
To get your card you can log into NDTV's website: "Be a Donor Campaign"

A “living” example : need of the hour !17-yr old national level tabel tennis player Harshita Bahrech succumed to a hemorrhagic stroke on April 29 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital but has blessed atleast 5 lives after her decease. After due consent from her parents, the cornea retrieved from Harshita's brain-dead body has been used in two blind patients, and it had positive results. Her liver and kidneys have been transplanted into two other patients. Her heart valve has been sent to the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO), AIIMS, for preservation.
“Once she had unwittingly expressed the desire to donate her organs in case of a sudden death. We thought we should fulfil her wishes," said Mahender Bahrech, the father of the donor.
Harshita's elder brother Chaitanya, who studies at Delhi College of Engineering, said he was proud of his sister. "We were once watching satsang on TV where a spiritual guru was saying that organs cannot be donated. She was stoutly opposed to it and said one should always donate organs in case of death. " he said.

Your one decision to donate organs can help you sustain many lives even after you are no more.

He who lives for others in life, will still be alive even as He dies!!For His heart will beat in one’s chest, and another will see again through His eyes !!!!!

Comments

This article has thrown light on somethings which most of us were unaware of-the donour card and how transplants of certain organs can be done only from cadaver donours. The stats mentioned shows how utterly important it is for each of us to choose to be donours and give life to others even after our death. Good work on the article, and hope it leads to creating more donours.

APJ Abdul Kalam had made news in 2008,pune and then bangaluru,2010 where he himself pledged to donate organ and made the masses to take the pledge too ! i think public figures and celebrities shud take the inspiration from our former president !

Awareness campaigns in colleges and companies can surely bring more people to make their contribution for this noble cause. Celebrities can surely help in spreading the message, why not tweet them about this.
Also is there a day for this , as in we have Aids awareness day, what about organ donation?

Yes Arun, 28th nov is the Indian organ donation day but it has been started very recently, 2011 being just the 2nd year! That certainly depicts the amount we are lagging. Your suggestion about utilizing a public figure should create a much needed awareness and drive among people

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